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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bore — to tire
  5. track — a song
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. track — a path
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. capital — a city
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com